When I moved down to London five years ago, I left behind a city where the idea of street food was a cheap burger van with the smell of frying onions filling the air. Of course London wasn’t much further ahead with street food only just beginning to make tentative steps forward. But when I went back home for Christmas this year I was delighted to see that things are starting to change.
Of course Leeds still has plenty of the dodgy burger vans, but if you can steer clear there’s a real gem to be found. Sitting in between a Halifax bank and a Footlocker shop on Commercial Street is a little van/beach hut selling the best Fish and Chips i’ve had in quite some time. Fish&, which serves fish with a twist, has been going for over a year now and i’d been really keen to give them a try since I first heard about them in the summer. But it wasn’t until two days before Christmas when I was doing some last minute shopping that I got the opportunity to check out their menu. And an impressive menu it is. Using sustainable fish, their offerings include Masala spiced fish (marinated over night) with sweet potato chips , Grilled mackerel baps with lemon horseradish mayo, calamari with lemon and chilli batter or hand-rolled sushi.
But for me I couldn’t resist the Fish and Chips with the Lemon, Lime and Chilli batter, served with a generous dollop of garlic mayo, for just £5. After one bite I was hooked; beautifully cooked fish with a great citrus taste and a hit of chilli. The batter was perfectly crisp and surprisingly light. Basically it was the perfect fish and chips.
From talking with the guys that run Fish& it sounds like it could be an exciting year for them and for Northern street food generally. They’re looking to further develop their menu (and their plans sound great) and they’re also part of the new collective Northern StrEats that will hopefully do for Northern street food what Eat.St has done in London.
Fish&
Tues-Sat 11:00 – 18:00 (unless they sell out)
Commercial Street, Leeds
street feast 
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